Disasters impacts are exacerbated by climate change and recurring small scale and slow onset disasters that particularly affect communities and households. While communities are at the forefront of disasters, they also offer opportunities to build coherence and integration of global agendas at the local level. A new model of interaction between community, and local and national governments is also required to contribute to inclusive decision-making processes to reduce disaster risk and vulnerability and to strengthen resilience at the community level.

The working session will aim to identify key elements and devise a set of recommendations to build capacity in disaster risk reduction and strengthen resilience at the community level. The session will also share good practices and success stories of integration of disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and sustainable development at the community level.

The discussions will define the key components of a community resilience framework that fosters an integrated approach to disaster risk reduction and community resilience and supports disaster risk reduction governance through enhanced interactions between community, local and national levels in support of the Target (e) of the Sendai Framework. The discussions will also explore opportunities to access financial resources to build long-term community resilience to disasters.